WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria set a new temperature record for July on July 31, when Wieselburg hit 40.3 degrees Celsius. This measurement exceeded the previous monthly high of 39.7 degrees from 1983 in Lower Austria. GeoSphere Austria verified the record amidst a heatwave impacting eastern Austria. The country’s highest temperature ever recorded in any month remains 40.5 degrees, observed at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
The July temperature peak was preceded by an exceptionally hot June, during which many temperature records were broken. GeoSphere Austria reported that 157 of its 277 monitoring stations set new maximum temperatures for June. An additional 66 stations recorded their highest temperature for any month. On June 28, Vienna reached 40.0 degrees, and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg hit 40.1 degrees on June 29. Several low-altitude regions experienced between 10 and 14 consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.
According to researchers from the University of Graz’s Wegener Center, the socioeconomic damages from the June and late July heatwaves are estimated at approximately €1.4 billion. This initial estimate accounts for health impacts, reduced labor productivity, agricultural losses, infrastructure stress, increased cooling requirements, ecosystem damage, and heightened pressure on public services. The figure does not represent an official government damage total or insurance claim values.
Heatwave intensity surpasses previous records
The Wegener Center evaluated these events through area-degree days, which measure heat intensity, duration, and geographic extent. They calculated around 16,700 area-degree days for the June heatwave. The later July episode was estimated to fall between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s prior benchmark was a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013, which registered approximately 22,100 area-degree days across land below 1,500 meters in elevation.
These extreme temperatures also coincided with a notable rise in heat-related fatalities. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety estimated that 395 deaths in June 2026 were linked to the heat, marking the highest June figure recorded since tracking began. This calculation compares actual deaths with expected levels during periods of intense heat, without requiring heat to be listed as the sole cause on death certificates.
Drought worsens effects of unprecedented heat
Austria experienced this latest heatwave following months of limited rainfall, with about 426 millimeters of precipitation from January 1 to July 27, compared to the average of 609 millimeters for that period. This results in a shortfall of roughly 30%. Authorities described the first seven months of 2026 as the driest comparable period since at least the early 20th century, with the largest deficits recorded in Lower Austria, Vienna, and northern Burgenland.
Persistent high-pressure systems, abundant sunshine, and scarce rainfall increased evaporation during late spring and summer, lowering soil moisture levels and impacting crops, rivers, forests, and regional water supplies. Austrian climate records show that heatwaves are now more frequent, longer-lasting, and reach higher temperatures than in previous decades. Between the 1980s and 2020s, average maximum temperatures during these events have risen by about three degrees. The 40.3-degree reading adds a new July record to Austria’s documented temperature history.